with critical UFA's set to walk, players who like and trust gainey - some of who were traded for or developed on his watch...
what happens?

gillette and boivin can't let this happen right now. find a new coach yes, but to flush gainey at this juncture is a nightmare.

I honestly don't think that Bob Gainey would ever leave an organization in the lurch like that. It's a situation that he created and he must have some plan for how to deal with it.

On the other hand of the argument, Gainey could say that he is leaving his successor a clean slate, but that can only effectively happen if they already have a replacement lined up. Which I very highly doubt.